NAIROBI — Kenya registered four new cases of the coronavirus, the Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Health Mutahi Kagwe announced on Sunday.
This brings the total number of cases in the country to 42, of whom 24 are male and 18 are female.
“In the last 24 hours, a total of 69 samples from suspected cases of coronavirus have been analysed in our various laboratories. Out of those, we have received confirmation that four people have tested positive for the disease,” Kagwe said.
Among the four are one Kenyan and three foreigners, an American, a Cameroonian and a Burkinabe. Kagwe said that tracing of contacts associated with the four individuals was underway.
According to Kagwe, the total number of close contacts the government was monitoring was 1,426 while 251 others have been discharged after completing the mandatory 14-day quarantine.
Kagwe said that 2,050 people in mandatory quarantine in 14 government-designated places.
Additionally, Kagwe said that the government was looking at hiring an additional 1,000 health workers in the coming week and will hire more as the need arises.
Kagwe cautioned individuals whom he accused of seeking political mileage at the expense of the spread of the pandemic.
“It is the worst of what we can see in terms of political maneouvre and it is wrong. It symbolises everything that is wrong with our society,” Kagwe said.
Kagwe also urged employers in the country to allow employees to leave work in good time so that they are not in danger of violating the curfew currently in place.
On Wednesday, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta announced the imposition of a curfew from 7pm-5am effective from March 29 as one of the measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
